A brief account of Mr. Valentine Greatrak's : and divers of the strange cures by him lately performed / written by himself in a letter addressed to the honourable Robert Boyle. Whereunto are annexed, the testimonials of Robert Boyle, Bishop Wilkins, Bishop Patrick, Dr. Cudworth, Dr. Whichcot, and many other persons of distinction; concerning the chief matters of fact therein related.

  • Valentine Greatrakes
Date:
1723
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A brief account of Mr. Valentine Greatrak's : and divers of the strange cures by him lately performed / written by himself in a letter addressed to the honourable Robert Boyle. Whereunto are annexed, the testimonials of Robert Boyle, Bishop Wilkins, Bishop Patrick, Dr. Cudworth, Dr. Whichcot, and many other persons of distinction; concerning the chief matters of fact therein related. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ces which I fhall make ufeof, which are moft, if not every one of them, feigned and falfe. The Words are as follow : That he had a Voice from Heaven affnring him firfty That he had a Tower to cure the Kingfs- Evil, and afterwards, that he might cure all Dif- safes: That he could not be quiet till he had un* dertaken it \ and that a Woman unknown to him had a Vifion to come to him j and that hereupon (not with funding he was difi waded by his Friends from the Practice, and jeered out of the Imagi¬ nation,) he had a conftant Impulfe to force him upon the feveral Experiments he had made, till the whole Country thronged to him. And this, the Pamphleteer faith, is what the Man faith for himfelf. Kow by this Tellimonial of my Lord Bi- fhop of Chefter, written with his own Hand at his Houfe in Tuthillfireet, (which I herewith fend yon) you may pleafe to judge how mif- becomihg the Pretence of a Clergy man he has acquitted himfelf, in Fathering fuch Forgeries upon one of the Fathers of the Church, whofe TefUmony he would have made ufe of to cre¬ ate a Belief in the Reader, and fcandalize an innocent Perfon. The Words are as follow. Whereas in a late Book, Entituled, ^Wonders no Miracles,] the namelefs Author hath thought fit to take notice of a Letter of Mr* Valentine Greatrak’s direUed to me *, wherein he is charged to avouch a Voice from Heaven twice heard by him| by which he was employed to cure the King’S'evil,- and afterwards to cure all Difcafes', mention be* ing made alfo of a Vifion which a Woman had to come unto him, &C. I cannot but fo far db right to the faid Mr. Greatrak’s, and dlfabufe all Readers of that Book, as to TefUfie, That the Letter which I received from him, hzd no fuch1 Tajfages favouring of Fhanaticifn7 as * a pretended Vlice